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You might have seen it on YouTube, or live, in a candy shop: candy makers pulling on candy. Over and over they pull the candy apart, fold it back together, and so forth, until it’s reached the consistency they’re looking…
Taaitaai, literally translated, it means ‘toughtough’. It’s a Dutch style of cookie that you’ll only find in stores in November, until early December. With a slight anise seed flavor it’s a main stay of the ‘Sinterklaas’ celebration season. The reason…
Borstplaat is a sweet, creamy piece of typical Dutch candy. It literally melts in your mouth, thanks to the tiny tiny sugar crystals within. It’s a scientific feat and just one example of a crystalline candy. As a matter of…
Every New Year’s Eve, families all over the Netherlands grab their frying pots, oil, and flour. Ready to make, a lot of oliebollen – the ‘Dutch donut’, if you will. Best eaten with (lots) of powdered sugar, they’re an integral…
If you want to have your taste of some pretty unique Dutch foods, I’d recommend you visit a fair or market. You’ll get your chance to eat oliebollen (only eaten with New Year’s or on a fair), kibbeling (fried fish)…
We eat strawberries in summer, Brussel sprouts and kale in winter. Chocolate Easter eggs in the weeks before Easter and pumpkins in autumn. We eat pepernoten (a Dutch cookie) in the month of November. Almond paste fits well in that…
In the past decade or so I have lived abroad in several countries. One of the aspects of living abroad is sharing (or telling about) the food from where you’re from. The Dutch stroopwafels (syrup waffles) so far have been…
Every year, at the start of autumn, all over the USA (and the internet), pumpkin spice mixes pop up. Even in Europe you can see it popping up in autumn, though not (yet) as prevalent. Pumpkin spice though isn’t that…
Long before kale was a super food, and a real hit in foodie land, we Dutch used to eat it all the time during the winter months. We’d use it to make ‘boerenkoolstamppot’ which is mashed potatoes mixed with lightly…
Before fridges and freezers were invented, we used other methods to keep our food good. Meats especially were vulnerable. Common ways to preserve meat included salting and drying. Another method, which might not immediately remind you of preservation, were pies.…
An apple pie is one those basic pies that you’ll find at a lot of celebrations in the Netherlands. Eaten with a good dollop of whipped cream it’s a crowd pleaser. Real estate agents would recommend to bake (or heat)…
An after-work drink in the Netherlands isn’t complete if you haven’t eaten some bitterballen. They’re also the perfect afternoon snack while enjoying the sun on a terrace. And even a Dutch embassy will serve them during events. Bitterballen and their…